Adjustable garment hanger support



April 14, 1953 T. J. wAcHowsKl 2,634,892

ADJUSTABLE GARMENT HANGER SUPPORT Filed Sept. 25, 1949 TTO/P/VEY Patented Apr. 14, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADJUSTABLE GARMENT HANGER SUPPORT Theodore J. Wachowski, Wheaton, Ill.

Application September 23, 1949, Serial No. 117,446

4 claims. 1

My novel invention relates to a new and useful clothes rack which is adapted to be used in automobiles. It is the purpose of my invention to provide an automobile clothes rack which is vertically adjustable so that the maximum vertical length of any automobile, in which my device is used, may be utilized in hanging garments. It is additionally an object of my device to provide a garment hanging rack which is adjustable in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the automobile so that the maximum longitudinal dimension afforded for the positioning of my novel device may be utilized for hanging garmentsor the like. Additionally, it is my object and purpose to provide an easily portable device which may be removed from the automobile when desired, and one which is easily assemblable and easily adjustable because of the provision of the multiplicity of cooperating telescoping elements for adjusting my clothes rack as desired.

All the prior devices in this art have proven unsatisfactory because the maximum dimensions of the car were not utilized in hanging garments. The majority of devices in the same art as mine have been adapted solely for use in hanging garments across the transverse dimension of the automobile. It will be understood that devices of this nature are undoubtedly unsatisfactory for a number of reasons. Among the reasons for the aforesaid unsatisfactoriness is the obscurance of rear View vision caused by the garments being hung across the transverse dimension of the automobile. If it is desired to unobscure the transverse dimension with the aforesaid prior devices, it is necessary either to substantially lower the height of the horizontal member which is utilized in said prior devices or limit the hanging of clothing to the lateral portions of the supporting element. It will be immediately apparent that either valuable height will thus be lost or that the number of garments which can be hung is exceedingly limited. Another objectionable feature of the garment supports which extend transversely is that access to the interior of the car is usually impaired or made difcult because there is a substantial blocking of the doorways in the rear portion of the car by the hanging garments, and in the case of the two-door model cars, it will be readily appreciated that great effort would be required to gain access to the rear portion of the car in which the garments would be hanging. Another objectionable feature of the transverse type of clothes hanging racks results from the fact that the front portion of the rear seat is exceedingly near the Yrear portion of the back of the front-seat. Of course garments hung along the priorly known devices of the transverse type could only hang 4freely the full length between the front of the rear seat and the back of the support of the front seat.

Now my device completely eliminates all the aforesaid objections and diiiiculties and allows free access to the rear portion of the car even when the garments are hanging, and furthermore it does not'obscure the rear view vision and is adapted to permit the hanging of numerous garments the full vertical dimension of the interior of the car. My novel device is adapted to be mounted in the automobile, in which the same is to be used, along one side of the car.

To my knowledge, there havebeen only two prior devices in this art which permit the hanging of garments on a rack which extends longitudinally with respect to the dimension of the automobile. The one device is objectionable because it requires that it be bolted to the automobile. Of course many individuals, who have need for clothes hanging racks, would be exceedingly reluctant to bolt a rack to the interior of an automobile for obvious reasons. The other of the devices, although it permits hanging garments on a bar extending longitudinally with respect to the car, it is objectionable because it does and appended claims, reference being made to the y accompanying drawings and numerals of reference thereon.

On the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of my device showing same mounted in position in an automobile. portions of the automobile being broken away. and showing, in dotted lines, a modified positoning to utilize the maximum heightfrom ceiling to oor. j

Fig. 2 is a plan view of my device looking at the righthand side of the device in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is one form of extensible joint mechanism which may be used.

Fig. 4 is another modiiied and optional form of the extensible joint which may be used.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a swivel jointV which connects the horizontal supporting bar with its respective standard.

Referring to the drawings, numeral I designates the floor of an automobile. Numeral II represents the front seat of an automobile and numeral I2 designates the rear seat. In the usual sedan which is indicated by numeral I4 there is a recess or Well I5 between the rear portion otthe. automobile and. thev backof the rear seat t2.

It will be observed that my novel device has a pair of standards including a front or for-V ward standard and a rear or back standard.

The front standard comprisesapair ofelongatedi ably legs 25..and 2B. (which. will. be hereinafter described), stability.` of myf novel device. may be. achieved, regardless: of avariation .or irregularity in-.the contour of the-supporting surface.

The normallyv rear standard comprises. a'4 pair of' pivotable; legs 221and'. 23: as illustrated in Fig- 2` and which are. angularly disposed with respectV to each other;v Numeral 24 represents a crossbarconnecting legs 22 and 23 and is provided for* the purpose.. of adding rigidity. In a preferable.V for-m of my invention, I5 provide legsy or rods-` 2.5? and 26. which are slidablyv and extensibly mounted within rear standard legs 22 and 23 respectively. Atv their outer ends... the adjustable legs-'25 and 2liv have securely mounted thereon friction members such as rubbery caps 21.

'At the normally uppermost portion of each of 'the Standards which I' shall designate as A and' vB the legs are flattened and compressed as is'clearly illustrated in Fig'. 5 by the numeral 28. Toconnect the legs of the respective standards A and B at theirl uppermost ends, I provvide a `.passaged cylinder 29, the end surfaces of which beanagainst respective flattened portions 2S' of the` legs off the "respective standards. A bolt or screw 3U' having an adjustable wingv nut 3I mounted on one end thereof passages the respective legs andthe cylinders 29. Fromv the foregoing, it will be understood that the cylinder 29 ils a swivel joint and that the respective standardA ory B maybe pivoted as 'desired `and locked into position with respect to the respec-L tive cylinder 2'9- Iby' tightening the wing nut 3I. Each of the cylinders 29 carries a stud or arm Numeral 33 designates an elongated tube which at one -erid thereof is mounted on a stud` nates a tube which has a smaller outer diameter I than the inner" diameter of tube 33, and it will be. seen that same is adapted totelescopicallyr slide within the normally rearward end of the tube 33. Tube 34 frictionally engages the arm or stud 32 of the rear standard B. It will be appreciated that to obtain the proper frictional engagement of tube 34 on stud 32 of the rear standard B that said st-ud of the rear standard B should be of smaller diameter than the stud 32 of the forward standard A.

The arrangement of parts heretofore described may be optionally changed Without. departing fromv the concepts herein embracedl and so that the extensible tube 34, instead of being mounted on. the stud 32 of standard B, is mounted on the stud or standard A and the tube 33, instead of being mounted. on; the stud 32 of standard A, is mounted on the, stud 32 of standard B.

ReferringtoFg. 1, it will be noted that I illustrate two of thefpositions which my novel device may assume. The position indicated in the dotted line utilizes the entire vertical height from the floor I0 of the vehicle to the roof thereof. In order tof retain hanging garments from r slipping on the rack, I employ. separators, dividers or abutment members. 35 which are mounted. onV the longitudinal rod orl tube. of my novel rack, but which may .he adapted to be moved as desred to various positions.. These abutmentk members 3'5 are adapted to engage. portionsv of a hanger which. are hung'V around the bar 33.

In order to provide an easily operable means for adjusting the various extensibly adjustable, lengths I' .preferably employ the. combination of elements. which is` illustrated in Fig; 3. The fol-'f lowingV description although relating to the tubes 33 and 34;. describes a mechanism which I' pref-- erably employ to extensibly' connect theextensi ble legsI of standards A and B. respectively. It will be noted that an apertured collar 36 is re-l movably mounted on the normally rearward end of' the tube 33', and' it will also be noted that the end of the tube 33 is apertured as illustrated at 3l. I employ an element such as a set screw 38 to secure collar 36 to the end of the tube 33;

It will he seen that collarv 3.3 has: an end annular flange 33. The end of the. tube 34; isv extensibly mounted. within. the end ofl thetube 33V anda] split sleeve 40, hav-ing an annular end ange 4t which is normally in abutment with the. flange;

33, is mounted around the: tube 34 withinV the tube 3.3. When it is desired to adjust the length of the bar, comprising the,y tubes 34 and 33, a wing screw 42 which extends through the collar 36l is released from engagement with the sleeve, 40 so thatthe same is permitted to expand from frictional engagement ofi tube 34 and said tube. may either be extended or moved inwardly to the desired position and retained thereat by tighten@ ing the screw 42 to cause the sleeve. 4U to. fricA tionally engage the tube 34 and hold same in. adj usted positions.

A more economical adjusting means. for-acl.- I

justment of the extensibly adjustable elements of my novel device may be optionally employed; Such optionally adjustable. mechanism is illus trated in Fig. 4,. and' it. will be. noted that the.

normally forward end ofV the. tube 34 is. provided. f

with a'. plurality of pairs. of aligned. apertures` 413.. The end of tube 33 is provided with preferably one pair of aligned aperturesthrough which a bolt d4 extends. A wing nut 45 is adapted to re tain bolt 44in the aligned apertures of the tubev 33. When it is desired to adjust the effective` length of the clothes supporting element, any pair of aligned apertures 43 are aligned with the apertures in tube 33, as desired, and the bolt` 44 is mounted in position as described above.

The foregoing description of the optional means relates to the optional adjustment of the extensible mechanism of the clothes supporting element, however, the same mechanism may be optionally employed for extensibly connecting the extensible end legs of standards A and B.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and as many apparently widely different embodiments of my invention within the scope of the claims could be constructed without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specication shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

l. An adjustable garment hanger support device for use in an automobile body comprising a front standard having a pair of adjustable extensible legs disposed in angular relation, the lower ends of said legs being adapted to rest on the floor of the body rearwardly of the front seat of the body; a rear standard having a pair of adjustable extensible legs disposed in angular relation, the lower ends of said legs being positionable rearwardly of the rear seat of the body; an adjustably extensible rod structure extending between the upper ends of said standards, said structure including a pair of tubes arranged in intertting telescopic relation; means pivotally connecting each end of said rod structure to the upper end of a respective standard whereby each standard is capable of pivoting relatively about an axis normal to the longitudinal axis of said rod structure, said means including a pair of bearing cylinders, the end faces of each of said bearing cylinders being received between the upper ends of the legs of a respective standard, each of said bearing cylinders having a stud projecting normally therefrom releasably insertable in one end of a respective tube; and means for clamping the upper ends of the legs of each standard to a respective bearing cylinder to thereby lock each standard in various positions of angular adjustment with respect to the longitudinal axis of said rod structure.

2. An adjustable garment hanger support device for use in an automobile body comprising a pair of standards; an adjustably extensible rod structure extending between the upper ends of said standards, said rod structure including a pair of tubes arranged in intertting telescopic relations; means pivotally connecting each end of said rod structure to the upper end of a respective standard whereby each standard is capable of pivoting relatively about an axis normal to the longitudinal axis of said rod structure, said means including a pair of bearing cylinders, each of said bearing cylinders having a stud projecting normally therefrom releasably insertable in one end of a respective tube; and means for clamping the upper end of each standard to a respective bearing cylinder to thereby lock each standard in various positions of anguiar adjustment with respect to the longitudinal axis of said rod structure.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 2, in which each of said standards is provided with a pair of adjustably extensible legs disposed in angular relation.

4. An adjustable garment hanger support device for use in an automobile body comprising a pair of spaced-apart standards, each of said standards being provided with a pair of adjustable extensible legs; a rod structure extending between the upper ends of said standards, said rod structure including a pair of tubes arranged in intertting telescopic relation whereby they are positionable with respect to each other to vary the distance between said standards; means for releasably securing said tubes in the various adjusted positions; means pivotally connecting each end of said rod structure to the upper end of a respective standard, said means including a pair of studs, each of said studs being releasably insertable in one end of a respective tube; and means for locking each standard in various positions of angular adjustment with respect to the longitudinal axis of said rod structure.

TI-IEODORE J. WACHOWSKI.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 570,179 Miller Oct. 27, 1896 933,650 Kramer Sept. 7. 1909 1,633,000 Culver June 21, 1927 2,177,431 Griiiiths Oct. 24, 1939 2,294,040 Metcalf Aug. 25, 1942 2,494,318 Sturk Jan. 10, 1950 2,507,880 Bell May 16, 1950 2,536,765 North Jan. 2, 1951 2,543,202 Robinson Feb. 27, 1951 

